What does "clink" mean?
The sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass.
Clink
/klɪŋk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass.
- Grammar: clink is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: gaol, jail, slammer, alliteration.
- Useful contrasts: freedom, liberty, muffle.
- Usage evidence: She held out the wine glass expecting someone to clink it.
How to use "clink"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clink" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "clink" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "clink" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "clink" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "clink" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "gaol" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "clink", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass. onomatopoeic
"You could hear the clink of the glasses from the next room."
- 2 A prison. dated, slang
"If he keeps doing things like that, he’s sure to end up in the clink."
- 3 a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence) wordnet
- 4 Stress cracks produced in metal ingots as they cool after being cast.
- 5 a short light metallic sound wordnet
Verb
- 1 To make a clinking sound; to make a sound of metal on metal or glass on glass; to strike materials such as metal or glass against one another. ambitransitive
"The hammers clinked on the stone all night."
- 2 To clinch; to rivet. Scotland, transitive
- 3 make or emit a high sound wordnet
- 4 To rhyme. dated, humorous
- 5 make a high sound typical of glass wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"She held out the wine glass expecting someone to clink it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clink"?
Common synonyms include: gaol, jail, slammer, alliteration, assonance, blank verse.
How do you use "clink" in a sentence?
She held out the wine glass expecting someone to clink it.
How do you pronounce "clink"?
Pronounced /klɪŋk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English clinken, from Old English *clincan (compare clynnan, clynian (“to sound; resound”)), from Proto-Germanic *klinganą (“to sound”). Cognates include Middle Dutch klinken and German klingen. Related to cling (sound) and clang. May be further related to call. Perhaps of onomatopoeic origin, as metal against metal.
Etymology 2
From the Clink prison in Southwark, London, itself presumably named after sound of doors being bolted or chains rattling.